By Paul Gable
The decision by voters on Tuesday on whether to approve the RIDE IV referendum for road improvements in Horry County may be the most important decision they make on the general election ballot.
Unlike the politicians for whom they decide to cast a ballot, politicians who will pass with time, the roads, which will be built if the referendum is approved, will serve not only the present generation of voters but also future generations. Or Not!
Horry County Council chose to ask voters to approve a 25-year, one-cent sales tax to raise approximately $6.6 billion for road improvements and additions. It is currently estimated that Horry County is deficient to the tune of approximately $4.5 billion in road improvements needed to service today’s needs and population. Approval of the 25-year referendum will allow the county to issue bonds, funded by future revenues, to speed up construction of needed improvements. Former RIDE projects were funded on a pay as you go basis.
RIDE IV is an attempt to close the gap of present day needs. Quite simply, if the referendum is defeated by the voters, road construction throughout the county will effectively cease, at least for a period of time, when the current RIDE III projects are completed.
I have lived in this county for over 41 years, longer than most of you, not as long as some. During that time, the county has gone from the second largest flue cured tobacco growing county in the nation to one of the fastest growing counties, in terms of population, in the nation. The former tobacco fields are rapidly being turned into housing sub-divisions for those seeking to escape colder climes. The population has nearly quadrupled during my years of residence here.
Roads which served the need of transporting tobacco and other crops from field to market, roads on which I used to see more tractors than cars, are now being asked to serve the transportation needs of an ever-growing population. Traffic congestion increases with each new house that is occupied.
Groups opposing the approval of RIDE IV are concentrating objections on specific issues such as potential environmental impacts of projects such as the construction of a portion of I-73 or the Hwy 22 connector (formerly known as the SELL road). This is shortsighted. Both projects would need considerable funding to come from the federal and state governments, neither of which is likely to chip in. The revenue for these projects. included in the RIDE IV plan, will be held until such time as funding is earmarked the other levels of government. If those earmarks to not materialize, the funds can be shifted to more local projects by future county councils.
Others are objecting to a 25-year one cent sales tax. In this county, approximately 60% of sales tax revenue collected is paid by tourists and visitors. Permanent residents pay the other 40%. This lends an argument that road improvements to primarily serve the permanent population can be built on a discounted basis to county residents. It may not be a perfect solution, but county residents are not being asked to fund 100% of the cost of much needed new roads.
The simple question on whether to vote to approve RIDE IV or not is: Do you wish to become snarled in longer and longer lines of traffic congestion or do you want to have improvements to existing roads to help move traffic around the county? The choice is in the hands of the voters.
Speak Up…